OISIN O’REILLY bagged a hat-trick of goals to seal the inaugural Munster U25 Reserves hurling title for Limerick in Thurles this afternoon.

In sweltering conditions, the Shannonsiders had a decisive goal touch to deny Waterford at Semple Stadium, in what was the first final of a competition which has replaced the intermediate grade.

First half goals from O’Reilly and Kyle Dillion helped to keep Limerick in touch at half-time, trailing by 2-6 to 0-13 against the Déise. The sides were level on six occasions in that first half and this tie was very much in the melting pot right up until the end.

While Limerick finished with four goals, Waterford net-minder Billy Nolan was still one of Waterford’s most impressive performers on the day, pulling off a number of fine saves. O’Reilly’s second goal, in the 49th minute, edged Limerick back in front by a point, 3-9 to 0-17, before Waterford’s leading scorer Shane Ryan bagged his side’s only goal a minute later.

That was the cue for Limerick to hit back in kind with six minutes of normal time remaining, as O’Reilly completed his treble. Having regained the whip hand again, Limerick would not be caught, as manager Pat Donnelly got to run the rule over some players who could feature against Tipperary in the Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21 championship later this week.

Nolan had the chance to level matters late on from a 20m free, but his rising drive cleared the crossbar, after Limerick had lost Andrew La Touche Cosgrave to a red card following a high tackle on Edmund O’Halloran.

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Patrick Horgan scored 10 points as Cork booked their place in a first Munster senior hurling final since 2014.

The Rebels came good again to defeat Waterford at Semple Stadium – four weeks after defeating last year’s provincial and All-Ireland winners Tipperary at the same venue.

Cork lost corner back Colm Spillane to a second yellow card in the 62nd minute, but held out in front of 33,163 spectators to send Waterford heading for the qualifiers. Conor Lehane was deemed fit enough to start, and scored four points, but he limped off late on with a recurrence of the ankle problem that had threatened his participation.

Cork will now face Clare in the decider – the first Munster senior final between the counties since 1999. It was a generally forgettable afternoon for Waterford, who had hoped to book a third successive Munster final appearance. Hurler of the Year Austin Gleeson produced a couple of classy cameo moments, but didn’t have the impact he or manager Derek McGrath would have wished for – and he was replaced in the second half.

The sides went in level at 0-10 apiece at the end of a rip-roaring first half. They were level three times inside the opening 13 minutes, but Cork held the lead from the 15th minute until Kevin Moran’s equalising point for Waterford just before the interval.

There were some brilliant individual moments to savour, chief among them a wonderful pick-up and Waterford point from an initially grounded Gleeson in the 10th minute.

Cork’s leading scorer Horgan was inches wide with a goal effort minutes later as the game ebbed and flowed.

With both sides adopting a ‘man on man’ approach, it was bubbling up into an absorbing fixture. By the 19th minute, Cork had managed to get three points clear, 0-8 to 0-5, but Waterford continued to battle. Cork’s fifth point was another eye-catching score, Conor Lehane fetching Mark Coleman’s pass brilliantly before racing away and firing over from the Old Stand side of the field.

The respective puck-out strategies were working well – Cork favouring the superb Coleman on the left touchline on more than one occasion, while Waterford were hitting the flanks and trying to keep the ball away from Mark Ellis. The Cork man was effective in the opening half, but his direct opponent, Pauric Mahony, still managed to get away for three points from play.

Content to hold his position, Ellis was prepared to concede some ground to Mahony and this duel was just one of the many sub-plots from an intriguing game. Approaching half-time, Waterford received a massive psychological lift by drawing level.

Before Moran’s equaliser, Waterford goalkeeper produced heroics to deny first Alan Cadogan and then Seamus Harnedy, the latter an absolutely brilliant save low down to his right. Goal opportunities came and went early in the second half and as the game wore on, Cork thrived.

Spillane was dismissed soon after, but Waterford couldn’t find a way back in the closing stages as Cork finished strongly. Shanahan had netted in the 46th minute to draw Waterford level at 1-12 to 0-15, but the Déise could only muster 1-5 after half-time.

Cork finished with 10 different scorers ensuring jubilant fans invaded the Semple Stadium sod at full-time to savour a famous win.

*This will be the 64th championship clash between the counties. It’s 43-14 in Waterford’s favour with six draws. Cork also had a walkover when Waterford failed to field in 1890.
*Cork are having their second outing in this year’s championship, beating Tipperary by 2-27 to 1-26 in the quarter-final. Conor Lehane (0-10, 0-4 frees, 0-1 ‘65’) and Shane Kingston (1-4) were top scorers for the Rebels.
*Waterford are having their first outing of the 2017 SHC. They won three and lost three games in the Allianz League, exiting at the quarter-final stages when losing to Galway.
*Cork beat Waterford by 1-21to 1-13 in this year’s Allianz League clash in Walsh Park. Cork, for whom Conor Lehane scored 0-8 (0-6 frees), led by 0-14 to 1-4 at half-time.
*Waterford are bidding to reach the Munster final for a third successive year. Cork last reached the final in 2014.

DID YOU KNOW?
Derek McGrath is in his fourth season as Waterford manager, with the following championship record: Played 13, Won 5, Drew 2, Lost 6.

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